FOULEDOUT!

Tim Duncan scored 24 points and grabbed 13 boards as the San Antonio Spurs got a successful start on the opening night.  The Spurs were victorious against the Portland Trailblazers on their season opener.
Manu Ginobili chipped in 16 points and 8 assists and Finals MVP Tony Parker added 19 points for the Spurs.
Big man Greg Oden who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Trail Blazers will sit out his entire rookie season due to a knee injury.  Lamarcus Aldridge led the Oden-less Trail Blazers with 27 points.  Martell Webster added 21 points while big man Joel Przybilla contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Before the season opener started, NBA Commissioner David Stern awarded the San Antonio Spurs their NBA championship rings.  The Spurs swept the Finals series against Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. The Spurs won four NBA titles in the last nine seasons.
The championship rings – handmade with 14 karat gold encrusted with 4.5 carats diamonds were handed to the coaching staff and players in alphabetical order.  Spurs stalwart Duncan received his fourth championship ring while teammate Robert Horry got his seventh ring.  Veteran Michael Finley accepted the first championship ring of his career.

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Mr. Triple Double, Jason Kidd had another stellar performance last season. He finished the previous season with an almost triple double statistics. His playoff run was much more impressive wherein he averaged an astonishing 14 points-10 rebounds-10 assists. Nobody can deny Kidd’s basketball talent, and even with his numerous triple doubles, I still can’t stop feeling bad because he still hasn’t won an NBA championship. I think Jason Kidd deserves to win a championship soon. He’s not getting any younger and I think he will retire soon and as a fan, it would be sad to see him walk out of NBA without even a single championship ring.

I’ve been a lifelong fan of Jason Kidd, from Dallas Mavericks, to Phoenix Suns and finally, New Jersey Nets. I would love to see him retire from the NBA with at least one championship and I hope he can do it with the Nets this season.

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After writing about my thoughts regarding the Eastern Conference, I now present to you my take on the Western Conference competition. Here are my top 8 Western teams:

San Antonio Spurs – Still remains as the team to beat in the West. The core players (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker) are intact and the have a decent depth in the roster. And the championship experience is a big factor.

Dallas Mavericks – This team will be back with vengeance. Dirk Nowitzki choked in the playoffs last season and I’m pretty sure he will be back to redeem himself. I expect him to carry the Mavericks together with Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse.

Phoenix Suns – Amare Stoudemire is not expected to play the pre-season games due to his knee surgery. This shouldn’t be a concern unless the injury aggravates during the season. If Suns can keep Shawn Marion happy and Amare healthy, the club will move smoothly and get to the playoffs.

Houston Rockets – The return of Steve Francis to the Rockets is quite interesting. This move can either make or break the team. Unless they can find a way and work on the team’s chemistry, they will have a problem. And T-Mac should shake off the bad luck and play harder to get through the first round of playoffs.

Utah Jazz – Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams are often dubbed as the John Stockton and Karl Malone of the present day Jazz. The tandem is for real. They are a deadly duo but they are not Stockton and Malone. At least not yet.

Denver Nuggets – Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby and hopefully a healthy Kenyon Martin. The talent in this team is overwhelming and if the team can find the right chemistry, the Nuggets will be a scary team.

Golden State Warriors – This ball club needs to improve their roster depth. The team is filled with talented guards and small forwards, but they still need decent big men. They can run and and they can score, but without rebounds and inside defense, Warriors will have a hard time competing with the big men (Duncan, Stoudemire, Yao Ming, etc.) of Western Conference.

Los Angeles Lakers – With an unhappy Kobe Bryant, the Lakers won’t be too strong this year. Unless they find suitable players to play with Kobe, Lakers won’t be able to make a title run this season. Lakers need to build the right team around Kobe and keep him happy.